- Hasina will return in December to restore democracy, even as she acknowledged the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence.
- I know, they may put me in jail or kill me, Hasina said, adding that she would go back home to be with her people.
- Whatever fate awaits me, I will return to my people, and I cannot stay away from my countrymen, she said.
- Audio-only virtual press conference, her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024.
- E-mail interviews were given over the past few months, but this was her first media interaction after taking shelter in India.
- Ban on the Awami League must be lifted, and political prisoners released.
- The Bangladesh foreign ministry reacted sharply and said the country is outraged that Hasina was allowed to engage in the interaction.
- Back-channel negotiations with the BNP government on her return were ruled out.
Hasina said she would return in December to put Bangladesh on the right track by restoring democracy, even at risk of jail or a death sentence. She spoke during an audio-only virtual press conference—her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024 amid a massive protest. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," Hasina said, adding "I will go back home to be with my people."24
The former prime minister also pressed hard on political reforms, demanding that the ban on the Awami League be lifted and political prisoners released, while urging the international community to back Bangladesh in its struggle for democracy and justice. "The ban on Awami League must be lifted, political prisoners must be released, false cases must be dropped, freedom of speech must be restored, media freedom must be protected and judicial independence must be guaranteed," she said.6
These calls come as Dhaka’s foreign ministry reacted sharply, saying the country is "outraged" that Hasina was allowed to engage in live interaction in New Delhi and accusing her and her supporters of "venomous vitriol" against Bangladesh and its people.7
Hasina described India as a "great friend" of Bangladesh and said it has stood by the country in times of difficulty, while ruling out any back-channel negotiations with the BNP government on her return.8
Background context also looms large: Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a Dhaka special tribunal over alleged "crimes against humanity" related to the crackdown on student protests in 2024, prompting Dhaka to press New Delhi for extradition.
Hasina argued that the July–August 2024 protests that toppled her government were not a spontaneous student movement, saying "organised groups" worked to turn the movement into a "violent political instrument" and to create a path to power outside the ballot box.
The statements underscore a volatile cross-border dynamic as Hasina seeks to shape a return while facing a government in Dhaka that has sought to prosecute her in absentia and as India navigates limits on domestic political sensitivities amid regional tensions.
“Hasina's remarks came during her first media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024, an audio-only virtual press conference. She also demanded lifting the Awami League ban and release of political prisoners, while Dhaka called the event an 'affront to sovereignty'.”
